Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Latesha A. Lipscomb, JD. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Latesha A. , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I stumbled upon my purpose not realizing that it had been chasing me all along.
I consider bold, authentic, intentional, inclusionary engagement that centers honoring and uplifting neighbor voice as my purpose driven life. I am thrilled about the work that I get to do for and with community. I think that doing life with people is paramount to improving quality of life that will transform lives for generations to come.
I identified my purpose years back as a student at Boston College. Before college, I grew up as an intermittent “have not” in the Black Hills, a neighborhood of black and brown dreams deferred on the SW side of Grand Rapids, MI.
As a young child and adolescent, I was blessed with many opportunities to learn and grow, that also gave me exposure to people who would make it their business to create access for me. By the age of twelve, I was well traveled, quite the public speaker, very opinionated on issues in community and had landed two regular spots on TV and radio sharing my voice with the anyone who cared to listen. I had something to say, and I leveraged every platform I had to advocate for others that are traditionally bypassed and overlooked in some of the hardest corners of the country.
On a random day in my journey toward “being the change”, I found myself speaking at a Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation national conference. A distinguished gentleman by the name of John Mahoney approached me after my presentation, complimented me on my diction and influence and asked me if I had every considered Boston College as an option for higher education.
At the time, I had never heard of a “Jesuit”, let alone the idea of “service to mankind above all else”. The Jesuit ideal of service is a value that encourages people to live for others, rather than just themselves. It is a spirit of giving and helping those in need, especially the poor and marginalized. I knew the day that I stepped on campus years ago in Chestnut Hill, MA that I landed right where I was supposed to be.
I went on to further clarify my purpose as a student of Political Science with a Focus Study in Faith, Peace and Justice. I’ve always had a relentless passion for the pursuit of your personal passions combined with a thirst for knowledge.
At the end of the day, there are several things about me that I know to be true… I have a passion for working to better the lives of the city’s urban residents in historically marginalized communities. Given that, my engagement framework involves fostering neighbor participation and involvement to positively impact experiences through urban planning and design. This is important because the way that we design and develop cities directly influences how people live, work, learn and play in communities across the globe. Therefore, the work we do must have the overarching goal of producing increased equitable outcomes for all.
I also know that I am someone who tirelessly advocates for those with quieter or muted voices in the city’s most vulnerable communities. I work so that all people can people can have access not only to the quality of life that they need, but the one that they deserve.
My purpose in life is to serve people and to serve them well.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am currently serving as the Director of Engagement + Relationships for a small but mighty non-profit in West Michigan called Amplify GR. I have maintained this role since 2019 and the landscape has not been an easy one to navigate for a few reasons. People work is hard work.
However, as an unapologetic and dynamic servant leader in community, I manage to lend my talents to improving quality of life for those in the City’s urban core. I have a particular affinity for serving what the bible characterizes as “the least of these”, also known as the “everyday people”, you find in zip codes that have traditionally been bypassed and overlooked in terms of both public and private investment. I color inside the “red lines”.
What is both exciting and special about this work, is the opportunity to be “the peoples champ” in a way that empowers them to be able to rise up one day and say, “we did it for ourselves”. Whether I am educating a neighbor, facilitating a human-centered design charette, speaking at a public meeting about investment in infrastructure, storytelling, co-creating upstream solutions to age-old problems or just acting as a mirror or window for the little black girl watching my every move, I’m always advocating for and collaborating with others. Through these assorted collaborations with local groups, various stakeholders and regular people, my body of work is a shining example of what authentic community partnership looks like and what everyday people can achieve when supported by a champion.
I lead from behind and often say out loud that my desire is to “leave it all here on earth”. I find new ways to love on and lean into community in this work every single day. I am leading with purpose.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Some of the qualities or characteristics of a servant leader that I embody include Intelligence, Foresight, Empathy, Innovation, Teamwork, Collaboration, Influence, Stewardship, building community and commitment to growth of others. I am deeply skilled at executing authentic, inclusionary Community Engagement strategies that empower everyday people to be the architects of their own lives by championing others. For many years, I have been and will continue to be a fierce advocate for improved quality of life and increased equitable outcomes for some of the City’s most vulnerable populations.
If I had to give a word of advice to others who are following along a similar path in community, the wisdom I would share is to give yourself permission to pause to prevent the tendency to become weary in well-doing. Burn out is real and rest truly is an act of resistance. No matter how long and how hard you try, you can’t pour living water out of an empty cup.
I’d say… generational impact and true transformation takes time, so, be careful to be kind to yourself in the process. Purpose requires patience.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Life is wrought with challenges… many battles will be won and others will be lost.
As of late, I have been in a “wilderness season”… a time where I am forced to wait on the chips to fall where they may. I am in a season where I am being forged by the fire in order to shine bright like the diamond, that I believe I am.
Waiting, while dreaming is hard. And I think that’s because our plans for our life are not in God’s playbook. I have had to learn that season and timing are not the same thing and as a believer, these two must align before God moves on our behalf. Alignment is crucial for advancement, without it, you are guaranteed to be running in place. And when that happens, the thing that you are seeking, can no longer be seeking you.
Finally, I’d say regardless of your current challenge or circumstance, do your best to find the joy in all things! Sometimes we may be ready for a change or an opportunity to start a new chapter, but our destiny is inextricably tied to a person in Chapter one and all the others thereafter. Be open to the possibility that your “challenge” is another “chance” to learn and grow.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: igotface
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latesha.lipscomb
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latesha-lipscomb-jd-01632112b/
Image Credits
Jenna Anderson Inns PeopleLoveSalt.com
